Some new moves by the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte in the ongoing Culbertson Land claim, involving a 923-acre parcel of land covering much of Deseronto and Tyendinaga township.
Negotiations between the Mohawks and the federal government broke down two years ago. The government offering money, the Mohawks wanting land. Chief R. Don Maracle says band council has filed applications for a review in federal court because “Canada’s policy includes return of land.” He says the former Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice gave the federal negotiator “all options to negotiate” but he thinks actions by demonstrators at the time caused the government to back off the land option. Legal talks, now underway, centre on whether or not records of the closed-door negotiations can be brought into public court.